No one has mentioned yet that 30mph in 1st is very close to VTEC. Hitting VTEC in 1st gear while turning in a heavy rain: you better be ready to countersteer. If not, this is what will happen.

 

You are right on with this point. I believe 20 MPH in 1st is right about 4000 RPM. I'm betting that at 30 MPH, VTEC is engaged. I would have to double check that. In this RPM range, you are placing a lot of power to the rear wheels, and what some people don't know is that in this RPM range, changes in throttle input can really upset the balance of the car. Even a simple bump in the road in the middle of the intersection can cause your foot to move the accelerator pedal, upset the balance of the car, and then spin.

I wouldn't blame this particular incident on the S02 tires. A good driver should know the limits of his/her equipment, and know at what level the car should be operated given the current road/weather conditions. I'm sorry that S2k909 is having to learn this the hard way.

In all actuality, the S02 is actually a very good rain tire (yeah I said it) WHEN you take into consideration there intended conditions for use. Moderate to warm temps on a good dry road. Again, I hope S2k909 gets her back to good as new ASAP.

 

"simply overdrove for the conditions" is as correct as "S02s are downright dangerous in the rain". Problem is, they're both extreme statements.

'S02s aren't great for wet weather driving' and 'he was clearly going a little faster than he should have been'. That is how you phrase those two comments so they aren't making ignorant or accusatory statements.

 

Oh, I don't know, "S02's are downright dangerous in the rain" comes across as an extreme statement in my book but, "simply overdrove for the conditions" does not.

It seems to be universally agreed on this forum that S02's are not great wet weather tires. There have been many posts, testifying to the fact that the tires can be safely driven in adverse weather conditions "as long as you are careful!"

That the individual was going to fast to make the turn on a wet road, is obvious. Blaming that on the tires is rediculas as far as I'm concerned. Knowing that the car has tires that are not known for their wet weather grip, it would seem reasonable that the driver would slow down a bit under those conditions. If the tires are toward the end of their useful life, it's time to get them changed. If the owner hasn't had the chance to do that yet, they should drive accordingly. If they don't, and something goes wrong, it's not the tire's fault.

We really do need to *start taking responsibility for our decisions and actions!*

Drive Safe,
Steve R.

 

7700 miles in mostly dry, sometimes wet and when wet extremely slippery pavement in Mexico (I mean slippery, smooth-as-glass, oily, shitty old pavement across the border) on SO-2's.
Never had any problems.
Car handles fine as long as you drive carefully and take into account weather AND road conditions...
Never ending debate, I suspect that given the car's nature we'll continue to see accidents as a result of people driving the car too fast around corners and in the wet.
To each his own. If you can afford to drive your car at 9/10's in the wet, well good for you, it's your car and your money, although I feel that pushing that hard on public roads is not considerate of other people.
Just my 0.2 cents.
Cheers,
Daniel

 

Put mine frontside over a curb to avoid an idiot who tried to crunch my front.
1500.00 later to replace the bumper guard, chin spoiler and repair the right front rim. When the rim was sent out, no damage was noted on tire. The shop doeble checked everything before remounting and found a slice right above the bead where the wheel hit the curb. You can't see it. It is like a flap of skin and only went through the first layer of tread. Lucky they found it and replaced the tire. And yes...4 wheel alignment is in order.